Beyond the Mirror – Ajdin Bašić “*.* (all files)”
Various locations (playground in front of the Bosnian Cultural Center, in front of the National Theater…)
August 22 – September 20, 1998
The trilogy “*.*” (all files), or the mounting of a real-life Web pages, is composed of two installations and one poster.
1. “index.html” installation
The fundamental logic of the Internet is the hyperlink. Translated into the language of reality, a hyperlink is represented by doors. The location of the installation (Internet terminology: server) is playground on Branilaca grada Street. In one place can be found the BosnianCulturalCenter, the National Theater, administrative and residential buildings as well as a flea-market. The playground functions as the contact point, display – it has the same function as a monitor. That is, literally speaking, the starting point at which one can find the most links and which offers the most choices for surfing/ researching. Users/children at this point have the greatest possibility of choice. The title of installation “index.html” (in Web terminology), designates the name of the file which is placed on the server/location and which contains all described characteristics. With this work the author examines how the mentioned institutions, or the milieu affects the final users – children.
2. “click here” poster
Applied to this “Web page” the contents are all that the server/city offers; but chosen locations make up the contents of Web pages and it is necessary to connect them with hyperlinks. The expression with which every surfer/visitor meets when links are in question is the phrase “click here”. “hot spots” to each connection are represented by posters that are mounted on all other referred-to pages/locations of the Web site. With this, the true contents are located, and the site gets its form.
3. “Under construction” installation
In front of the National Theater, a construction scaffold which is not leaning against any object refers to the usual experience of an Internet user. Coming across an unfinished Web page signifies constant growth, “development”, the most visible aspect of the information age. “Under construction” is a constituent part of every good site, which signifies that the content of the site have a positive direction of development.